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(No Model.)

0. A. BRADFORD. DEVICE FOR CHECKING HORSES.

m M Y flttorneyd Unitas rare s Parana tries CHARLES ALVARUS BRADFORD, OF PERU, NEV'YOR-K.

DEVICE FOR CHECKING HORSES.

IjI ECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 310,872, dated January 20, 1885,

(N model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. BRADFORD, acitizen of the United States, residing at Peru, in the county of Clinton and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improve ments in Devices for Checking and Unchecking Horses, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention has relation to devices for checking and unchecking horses; and it consists in the construction and novel arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in per spective of a checking and unchecking device embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view showing the manner of attaching the clamp to the saddle of the harness.

. Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A A designate the arms of the clamp-frame, the base A of which is pro vided with a threaded shank, Aflwhich screws into a threaded seat, A, in the harness-saddle. An arm, B, is journaled in the arms A A, and is provided with a check-dog, H, beneath which the check-strap E passes.

To the check-dog H is pivoted a wire or double lever, WV, having the fork I at its rear end. At its forward end the check-strap E is provided with a checkbook, D, for the attachment of check-rein G. F designates the crapper or back strap, connected byabuckle, V,with the saddle, and arranged in the usual manner. The rearend of the cheek-strap E is doubled over or under to provide a looped attachment for the bifurcated hook J, and is then secured to the sliding loop K, which loosely encircles the crupper or back strap, as seen in Fig. 2. The slide or loop K is arranged forward of the hook J, and when the horse is unchecked the action of drawing the head down to drink causes the slide to be drawn forward along the back-strap to about the point of the buckle V. The slide can be returned to its original position, as will be presently described.

The design of the arm or lever IV is that the weight of the check-strap E shall keep the check-dog continually on the strap E, and

To uncheck the animal, the knotted whip is placed in the fork I and is pulled gently backward, which pull has the effect of raising the check-dog and permitting the checkstrap E to move forward as the horse lowers its head. When the horse has finished drinking, to check up insert the whiptip into the bifurcated hook J and draw the slide K back along the crapper-strap F to its former position,this action causing the check-strap E to be drawn through the clampframe, and when the check-rein is sufficiently tight the tendency of the check-dog will be to bind the checkstrap. It will be observed that the driver can readily draw the check -strap through the clamp-frame to its original position, and when it has reached that place the motion of the horses head will serve to tighten the connection-that is, bring the check-dog to bear thereon. The peculiar pivoting of this checkdog allows free back movement of the strap E, but automatically acts to prevent forward movement until the lever Whas been operated to disengage the dog from the strap.

The check-strap Eis about three-fourths of an inch wide and one-eighth of an inch thick, of harness-leather. The clamp should be wide enough to just receive the check-strap E. The distance between the side arms of the double lever W is just enough to bring them between the arms A A of the clamp-frame;

To apply my improved device to old harness, remove the bolt of the style of hook worn and insert the bolt 1? of the improved device and tighten the nut O. The check-hook D should be three-fourths of an inch inside, to receive at the p'ointrr the ordinary check-rein, G, and is nearly triangular in form. The under side of the clamp-frame, when made of castiron, can be hollowed somewhat to better fit the ordinary harness-saddle, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination, with the clamp'frame and check-dog, of the double frame WV, having fork I, and the check-strap E, having hook D, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the clamp-frame with check-dog, the double frame WV, having fork Land the cheek-strap E, having hook D, of the back-strap F, slide K, and hook J substantially as specified. 5 3. The combination, with the clam p-frame and check-dog, of the frame or lever WV, formed with a projection and connecting with the dog, the check-strap E, passing through the frame and clamp-frame beneath the said dog, and the check-rein connecting with the strap E, arranged and operating so that by placing a whip or like article in the projection of the frame W thelatter is drawn backward to raise the checkdog from the check-strap and allow the horse r5 to lower his head, as set forth.

4. The back or crupperstrap,in combination with the check-strap having a sliding loop at its rear end,working on the back-strap, a proj ection or loop, J, connected to the check-strap,

CHA RLES ALVARUS BRADFORD.

Witnesses:

HENRY CLARK, S. H. CLARK. 

